12 Inspiring Quotes From Rock Icon Tom Petty

Leaving a major footprint in the music industry, legendary rock icon Tom Petty passed away on Oct. 2. As the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a solo artist and even and actor and radio host, Petty was a major influence in both the rock and entertainment worlds.

He wooed people with his soft, pleasant voice on hit songs such as “The Waiting,” “You Got Lucky,” “I Won’t Back Down” and “Free Fallin’.” His 13 albums with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and three solo albums topped Billboard charts and many became gold and platinum records. In 1988, Petty joined fellow musicians Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne to form the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, which released two studio albums. The band was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

However, his accomplishments go beyond the recording studio. Petty also got his feet wet in front of the camera, making an appearance in 1987 comedy Made in Heaven and in the 1997 film The Postman starring Kevin Costner. He also launched his own Sirius XM radio show, “Tom Petty’s Buried Treasure,” in 2005.

With a four-decade-long music career, Petty’s reputation stands strong. In fact, just this year, The Heartbreakers wrapped up its final tour celebrating their 40th anniversary.

While the public responds to the 66-year-old’s sudden passing, fellow rock and roll star Dylan told Rolling Stone, “It’s shocking, crushing news. I thought the world of Tom. He was a great performer, full of the light, a friend and I’ll never forget him.”

“The only good thing about getting older is you get smart enough to avoid unnecessary problems. You know what’s worth spending time on and what’s not. If I had known that at 20, life would have been so much easier, but you have to experience all these things so you figure out how to find your way through the woods.”

“Music is probably the one real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.”